The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things

last updated 8 January 2015

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things has been making the festival rounds for a while, said Anthony Lane in The New Yorker. Now, it's finally earned a theatrical release, and 'œthe timing could not be sweeter.' The movie is a faithful adaptation of J.T. LeRoy's book of the same name, which is awash in controversy. The author of the collection of connected, confessional short stories, as it turns out, does not exist. LeRoy's prose came from the pen of Laura Albert; Savannah Knoop, the half-sister of Albert's partner, Geoffrey Knoop, made all public appearances. With LeRoy's cover blown, so is the 'œone indication of brilliance in the entire farcical business.' Filmmaker Asia Argento has strung together 'œa lurid line of addict behavior,' said Duane Byrge in The Hollywood Reporter. A 23-year-old junkie drags her son, Jeremiah, through a drug-addled world of one-night stands, rape, and seedy motels. But 'œlike its protagonist, the film goes nowhere.' Devoid of social or psychological insight, this is 'œat best a vanity piece.' Argento also plays Jeremiah's mother, Sarah, looking like 'œUma Thurman after a six-day bender,' said Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly. Her whole performance is 'œan act of exhibitionism, and so is the movie.'

Rating: R